Dog-muzzle.



W. B. STEVENS, JR.

DOG MUZZLE.

APPLIOATI ON FILED AUG. 3, 1914.

' Patented Mar. 16 1915.

5 n 00 ntoz eye/15 fn wi/bnmao THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO'LITHO" WASHINGTON. D. C,

WALTER B. STEVENS, .13., on NEW YORK, iv. Y.

DOG-MUZZLE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 10, 1915.

Application filed. August 3, 1814.. Serial No. 854,763.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER B. STEVENS, J12, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Y ork city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dog-Muzzles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to dog muzzles, and it has for its object to provide a muzzle which, though constructed for a particular size of head, may be adjusted to fit a dog having a short nose or a dog having a long nose.

A further object of the invention is to connect the forward and rear nose members or arches of the muzzle by means of a more or less soft and flexible piece which will serve to increase the comfort of the animal to which the muzzle is applied.

The nature of the invention will be best understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved dog muzzle, and Fig. 2 is a plan thereof.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, in which the invention is illustrated as embodied in a familiar type of wire muzzle composed of wire nose and jaw frames adapted to be secured to the head of a dog by means of a suitable headstall of leather or other flex ible material, 10 designates the front arch and 11 the rear arch of the nose frame or member which, together with the jaw frame 12, are constructed of wire of the proper stiffness in well-known manner. For example, a piece of wire 14 is provided with an eye 15 at one end and is then extended upwardly and forwardly and bent over transversely at the top and then downwardly to serve as a part of the rear arch of the nose piece. At the base of the arch, it is formed in a loop 16 and is then carried forwardly along one side of the muzzle the desired distance, bent upwardly at a suitable angle and at the top carried transversely across the front of the muzzle with a loop 17 at each corner, whereupon it is turned downwardly at the same angle to complete the forward arch of the nose piece. After being carried along the other side to the rear, where it is looped again to provide a second loop 18,

it is crossed transversely to the opposite side of the muzzle and secured thereto by a suitable eye 19. At the front of the muzzle a transverse base piece 21 is secured and dropped below the sides of the jaw frame 12, and to it is connected a longitudinal member 22 which is also connected to the rear transverse piece. Extending upwardly and substantially in the plane of the piece 21 is an arch piece 23 whose ends are turned over the sides of the muzzle and which arch piece is fastened at the top to the rear arch piece constituting with it the rear nose piece or member of the muzzle. Suitable links or rings 24 are hung in the loops 16 and 18 and through these passes a neck strap 25 which is provided with a suitable buckle 26 for adjustment.

No claim is made to the foregoing construction which is old and well-known and in which it has been the practice heretofore to rigidly secure the forward and rear arches or nose members together by some stilf and hard material as wire or sheet metal, a head strap being secured to the rear arch. It is the object of the present invention to pro vide between the said front and rear portions of the nose member adjustable means, and which are preferably also more or less soft, whereby the effective length of the muzzle may be varied to accommodate it to different lengths of noses. A particular size of muzzle may, therefore, be adapted to various dogs by merely adjusting the length of the connection between the front and rear arches. This is eflected in convenient manner by attaching to the forward arch one end of a strap 27, which may be of leather or other suitable material and preferably somewhat soft and flexible and passing the said strap through a leather or metal chape 28 or other suitable holding or locking means therefor, the chape being placed beneath or above the tops of the rear arch pieces and the strap brought respectively over or under the same. To further insure a firm hold, a pin 29 may be fixed to the top of the rear arch to fit suitable holes 30 of the strap. At its rear end, the strap 27 is provided with suitable holes 31 for adjusting its length in connection with a buckle 32 secured to the top of the neck strap 25, the strap affording thus the head strap of the muzzle.

To adjust the nose piece, it is necessary merely to draw the forward arch piece,

- made regardless of the shape of thedog7s v is t en secur d y t e e p 28 rithe l ke-- The great majority of dog muzzles are head and merely to standard sizes; but with the improvements herein set forth incorporated, a muzzle though conforming to a particular size of head, may be made to fit comfortably on a dog of short nose or of long nose, which has heretofore not always been the case. Moreover, inproviding be tween the front and rear nose pieces a memher which is to some extent at least'non-rigid and soft, as for example of leather, the dog will be -much more comfortable than when provided with a muzzle of the character heretofore in use and employing stiff and hard material between said pieces.

.I claim 1. In a wire muzzle for dogs: a front nor mally fixed wire nose member and a rear wire nose member; an adjustable flexible member connecting said two nose members to. effect an angular displacement of the plane of said front nose member relatively to said rear nose member; and means'to lock said flexible member to said rear wire nose member.

2. In a wire muzzle for dogs: a front nor.- mally fixed wire nose member and a rear (109 of this patent may be obtained for wire nose member; a neck strap; a strap, i connecting said front no se member with said rear nose member and-with said neck strap to effect an angular displacement of the plane of said front nose member relatively to said rear nosemember; and means Q01 operating with the top of said rear wire nose member to locksai d-strap in position to maintain the adjustment. I

3. In a wire muzzle for dogs 1 a front wire nose member and a rear wire nosemember; a strap secured to'said front nose member to effect an angular displacement ofthe plane of'said front nose member relatively tosaid rear'nose member; and a chape cooperating with the top of said rear nose memberand through which said strapis adapted to pass.

4. Ina wire muzzle for dogs: a-front Wire 7 nose member and a rear Wire nose member; a strap secured to said front nose member to effect an angular d splacement of the plane of said front nose member relatively to, said i rear nose member; a chape cooperating with:

the top of said rear nose member and through which said strapv is adapted to pass; and a neck strap provided with a buckle to receive the endof said strap. f

Signed at N ew York in the county of New York and State offiNew York this 30th'day of July A. D. 1914. WALTER B, STEVENS, JR,

WlVitnesses: K

CHAsi A. I-IAUoK, FREDK F. Sc-Htnirz;

five c n e ch. y ad'dressins'the mmis ianer of Paten s,

W shin n. 12-0.. 

